Your Daily #RAtip: Keep Moving

Your Daily #RAtip today is KEEP MOVING.

I realize the idea of "exercising" when you're deep in a flare and swollen and in pain can be far-fetched. And if you're hurting right now you're not going to want to climb a mountain and stand on your head like I'm doing in the photo.

But I'm not talking about exercise or climbing mountains necessarily, I'm talking about "movement". Any movement that gets your blood flowing- walking, vacuuming, shopping at Costco. If you feel strong enough to exercise then go for it, but listen to your body, don't overdo it, especially at first and especially in a flare.

Yoga is fantastic for rheumatoid arthritis, it's helped me tremendously. It not only keeps me flexible and strong, it helps my body stay detoxed and encourages the healthy functioning of my lymphatic system. And it's great for stress management.

For the record, I didn't feel strong enough to hike Mount Crested Butte and stand on my head at 12,000 foot elevation until I'd been working my RA program nearly a year. It takes time, and each person is different in their tolerance for exercise, so focus on movement and take it a step at a time. Literally.